Fishing rod handle



Oct. 18, 1949.

A.-C. ESPENS HIP FISHING ROD HANDLE Filed Aug. 4, 1947 INVENTOR. ABRA MC. ESPENSH/P ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 18, 1949 FISHING ROD HANDLE AbramC. Espenship, Collegeville, Pa., assignor to Harry L. Gabel and Abram C.Espenship, copartners, trading as The Pen Rod Company,

Gilbertsville, Pa.

Application August 4, 1947, Serial No. 766,071

This invention relates to an improvement in fishing rod handles of thetype having a hand grip at one end and a head for the reception of a rodat the other end which are connected to each other by a depressed barforming a space between the hand grip and the head above the bar'for thereception of a reel, the bar being provided with a seat for the base ofa reel. In such handles either the connecting portion between the headand bar or between the hand grip and the bar is provided with anundercut recess for the insertion of one end of the base of the reel,and, extending from the other connecting portion extending from the baris a spring pressed bolt having a cam face for clamping the other end ofthe reel base to the seat on the bar.

In all such structures known to me the spring pressed clamping bolt isprovided with a head portion which cannot be withdrawn from the reelspace between the connecting portions extending from the bar to the handgrip and the head.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of a spring pressedbolt which can be withdrawn from the reel space to permit mounting areel base of the length of the width of the reel space.

Another object of my invention is the provision of means whereby thebolt can readily be withdrawn from locking position and secured in suchposition while positioning the reel, and whereby the bolt, after it hasbeen shifted to locking position, may be secured against movement.

Referring to the drawings in which:

Figure l is a side elevation partially in section of a handleconstructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a plan View with a portion of the hand grip and reelomitted; and

Figure 3 is an inverted plan view of a portion of the handle showing theclamping screw.

The handle comprises a hand grip portion ID at the rear end thereof anda rod receiving head I2 at the front end substantially in horizontalalignment with the hand grip connected to each other by a bar I4 belowthe hand grip and the rod receiving head forming a reel receiving spacebetween the hand grip and the head I 2.

The rod receiving head I2 extends upwardly from the bar I4 while thehand grip I8 is connected thereto by means of a member I3.

The upper face of the bar I4 is provided with a seat I for the base of areel between side flanges I6, I6, the ends of which merge intoconnecting member I3 between the bar I4 and the hand grip 1 Claim. (Cl.4322) lit) III at one end and the rod receiving head I2 at the otherend.

The rod receiving head I2 is bored from the end face thereof into thereel receiving space, the

bottom of the bore being in the plane of the seat I5 for the receptionof a cylindrical bolt I8 for locking one end of a reel base to the seatbetween the flanges I6, I6 as hereinafter described.

The outer end of the bore is threaded and :seated therein is a blindscrew 28, a coil spring 22 is seated between the screw 28 and the boltI8 for urging the bolt I8 outwardly towards the reel space. The bar I4is slotted as at 24 and threaded into the bolt I8 is a screw 26 whichextends through the slot 24 whereby the bolt I8 may be secured in itsadjusted position or may be drawn into the bore and secured therein.

The end of the bolt I8 is cut at an angle to the seat I5 for a reel aswell as to center the bolt I8 to form a cam member 28.

The connecting member I 3 is provided with an undercut recess 30 shownin dotted lines in Figure 1, the bottom thereof being flush with theseat l5 and extending into the recess is one end of the base 32 of areel 34, the other end of the base being retained in position by the cam28 on the bolt I8.

In mounting the reel on the seat I5, the bolt I8 is slid back againstthe action of spring 22 by using the screw 26 as a handle, the end ofthe base 32 of the reel is inserted into the recess 38, the base 32 isthen positioned on the seat I5, the bolt l8 upon being released will beshot forward bythe spring 22 and the base 32 will be pushed forward intothe recess 30 by the movement ofthe bolt and the end of. the base 32will be clamped between its seat and the cam 28, or the bolt may bepulled by the screw 26 to jam the base between the cam 28 and the reelseat I5; the screw 26 is then tightened to fixedly secure the bolt.

This clamping of the reel base by the spring pressed cam 28 issufiicient to secure the reel to its seat, while the screw 26 will lockthe bolt against movement if the bolt should be engaged to force itagainst the action of the spring which the fisherman might doinadvertently while fishmg.

This screw 26 not only forms a safety lock for the bolt but alsoprovides a ready means for slidinglthe bolt during the placing orremoving of the rec The head I2 is provided with a cylindrical extension36 which is threaded on the exterior and bored concentrically with thethreaded portion for the reception of spring jaws 38, which, to-

gether with a cap 40 threaded on the extension 38, form a chuck forsecuring the end of a fishing rod 42 in the head l2.

The outer diameter of the inner end of the spring jaws is such, with therelation to the bore in which it is seated, as to form a tight fittherein and is seated therein so that a pin 44 extending through thewalls thereof will be perpendicular to the axis of the reel 34, the endof the rod 42 is slotted so as to straddle the pin 44 when seated in thejaws to position the line guides on the rod in proper relation to thereel.

Seated n the end of the head is a cap .46 for closing the end of thebore for the bolt l8 which is provided with an opening for extension 34and engages a shoulder on the head so that the outer faces of the cap 46and head l2 are flush when the cap is positioned on the end of the head.

One of the advantages of my invention results from the provision of aspring pressed bolt having a cam face for clamping the end of a reelbase to its seat and a locking screw for securing the bolt in positionand which is also arranged for shifting the bolt endwise within thebore.

139 the provision of a clamping bolt which can be withdrawn into thebore, the entire bolt can be withdrawn from the reel space so that thefull length or the reel space is clear of obstructions when mounting areel.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A fishing rod handle having a hand grip at one end, a rod supportinghead at the other end, a

depressed bar connected to the hand grip and the rod supporting head,there being a reel space formed between the hand grip and the rodsupporting head above the bar, a seat on the upper face of the bar forthe base of a reel, an upwardly extending connecting member between thebar and the hand grip having a recess for the reception of one end of areel base, said rod supporting head having an opening therethrough, aspring pressed sliding bolt mounted in the opening and having a cam onits lower face for engaging the other end of the reel base for lookingit to the support, the opening for the bolt extending inwardly from thereel space and being of an area to permit drawing the end of the boltinto the opening from the reel receiving space, the wall of the handlehaving a slot extending therethrough from the bolt opening, and a screwextending from the bolt through said slot for shifting the bolt andlocking the bolt in any shifted position.

ABRAM C. ESPENSHIP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,102,237 Kinnear Dec. 14, 19372,206,019 Benson July 2, 1940 2,424,430 Beyer July 22, 194! 2,431,972Treadway et a] Dec. 2, 1947

